I love this saying of Thomas Merton's. He is inviting us to live the life we are given. To love and hope with the marginalized and poor. Celebrate creation and all of God's good gifts! Merry Christmas and may the Peace of Christ enter into our hearts this blessed season and carry us into the New Year. -Rosemary Thompson

It is going to be a long, cold winter. That is what meteorologists are warning throughout the country. AccuWeather.com's Long Range Forecasting Team says the United States should be preparing for "another brutal one" this season, with the Midwest bearing the brunt of the assault.

There is much to celebrate this Christmas. The Arab Spring, the millions who marched for justice and democracy throughout the Arab world, and the fall of various dictatorships; the ongoing campaign to protect the environment, including the Keystone Tar Sands pipeline protests and last week's protests at the U.N. Global Climate Conference in Durban, South Africa; upcoming elections for Aung San Suu Kyi in Burma; the three heroic African women who won the Nobel Peace Prize; and closer to home, the amazing Occupy movement that has exposed the class warfare by the 1 percent against the 99 percent. The struggle for justice and peace goes on. Millions are engaged. The movements are moving.

This is a request for a phone call to your representative. When you click the Contact Representative Now words (in green), and put in your zip code, you will be given the direct dial telephone number and talking points. If you cannot get through or prefer to e-mail, you could go to your representative's web page and use the contact form there. You could cut and paste the talking points in this action alert.

Take Action Now!

Call your representatives now and urge them to protect unemployed workers and their families by extending emergency unemployment programs! The House of Representatives will vote TODAY or TOMORROW on a package that includes unemployment programs.

Current Situation Unless Congress extends emergency unemployment programs, in two weeks many unemployed workers throughout the country and their families will lose the basic income security that is provided to them through their unemployment benefits.

USCCB Position/Church Teaching Church teaching is clear: during times of economic pain and high unemployment, there is a moral obligation to ensure unemployed workers and their families have a basic level of security. Last week, Bishop Stephen Blaire, Chairman of the Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, wrote to Members of Congress to urge them to extend unemployment benefits. The full text of the letter can be found here: http://bit.ly/rCDRGj.

Announcement Immigration Referendum Training Session

Archdiocese of Baltimore –

Keep their Dream alive Help make higher education affordable for all qualified Maryland students regardless of immigration status. Learn how you can activate and educate your parish or community to support their DREAM. They were brought here as youngsters and love America – their home. They are hardworking, file taxes and will not take any university spots away from other Maryland students – and they will pay the full Maryland in-state tuition rate.

The Maryland Catholic Conference is holding training sessions for those who want to campaign to keep the DREAM alive for these students. Thursday, January 12 from 7:00 – 9:00 pm at Cathedral of Mary Our Queen (5200 North Charles Street, Baltimore). To register and for more information, visit www.mdcathcon.org/dream or call 301-261-1979.

Cardinal Calls for Globalization of Solidarity

Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga of Tegucigalpa, Honduras and president of Caritas Internationalis, reflected with Catholic media this week on his experience at the climate change talks in Durban, South Africa. He said Catholics need to know that climate change is real and must be faced soberly. He expressed an urgency to change our attitudes and behaviors toward the environment now and not after all the consequences and tragedies that will come. It is an issue of faith because from the very beginning of the Bible, you see how creation was entrusted to human beings for their administration, not for their exploitation. Globalization, continued the cardinal, is not a bad word. But if it is only seen as a process of expanding markets and finance, it could be detrimental to the human community. It is necessary to globalize solidarity, he said.

NRCAT is helping to lead a coalition that is organizing a large public witness in Washington, DC, with more than 2000 people (representing the estimated number of prisoners still held at Guantanamo and Bagram) lining up to connect the White House with the Capitol and send the message to the President and the Congress that this is "10 Years Too Many." More details, including information about interfaith activities, bus transportation and housing, is available on our website at www.nrcat.org/gitmo2012. Use this "Tell-a-Friend" tool to encourage others to participate.

Organize locally: NRCAT has also developed resources for local activities marking this significant anniversary. Resources for worship, advocacy and public witness are all available at www.nrcat.org/guantanamo_activities.

Video: The Revolution is Love

Vigil to End the Death Penalty with Viva House, Jonah House, & Murphy Initiative

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